I knew absolutely nothing about this B-picture from 1940, and was drawn to it simply by its cast and synopsis.
It’s less Film Noir and more Romantic Suspense (if that’s even a genre), and a touch of old-school Gangster. Notably, it might be the only Gangster movie to have a gangster named “Steve.”
Joan Bennett (Dark Shadows) is fantastic as the lead character, a departure from the typical male-centric crime movie.
Worth watching alone for the song and dance number centered around a Chihuahua.
BONUS FACT: Hitchcock directed one sequence in this film as a favor to producer Walter Wanger.
Lucky for us, Machete was a massive hit on Netflix.
Naturally, last year’s follow up Machete Kills (spoiler alert) is now streaming for all your guilty pleasure needs.
Mel Gibson and Antonio Banderas join the chaos.
I want to know when Rodriguez is going to be given the helm of an Expendables film.
That only seems like a natural career move at this point.
BONUS FACT: Technically a full-length sequel to a parody trailer, this one also opens with a fake trailer for Machete Kills Again… In Space.
Lower budget, less over-produced and hugely entertaining, Monsters is an incredible first film.
It also showcased the very talented Scoot McNairy, who went on to star in two Best Picture Oscar winners in a row (Argo, 12 Years a Slave) and will be seen in the upcoming Gone Girl and television series Halt and Catch Fire.
Most importantly, the F word was used a total of 230 times, with the S word coming in a close second.
Clocking in just over an hour, it was a constantly repeatable comedy routine that launched Murphy into super box-office status, where he would remain until primarily co-starring with children, talking animals and really bad CGI aliens.
Murphy’s excellent theatrical follow-up Raw is also available this month on Netflix here.
I first encountered William Friedkin’s Rampage as an intern at Miramax in 1992.
The film had not yet been released, despite being shot in 1987, due to the film’s studio’s bankruptcy (DEG).
As a film student obsessed with anything done by Friedkin (To Live and Die in LA was a constant fave in my dorm room), I was in heaven to get my hands on this one. It’s an interesting thriller, intense at times (actually leaning on uncomfortable).
Though Friedkin adapted the movie from a book by William P. Wood, the overall serial killer tale was loosely based on a real-life serial killer.
Lead actor Michael Biehn shot this film right after Aliens, at the peak of his career.
BONUS FACT: William Friedkin edited the ending prior to full theatrical release in late 1992.
Fresh from its limited run release, Big Bad Wolves is a ballsy Israeli thriller that wowed audiences at a number of festivals and awards, including the Saturn Awards.
Every once and a while, Netflix lands a lot of these acclaimed films very soon-after their limited runs.
This one’s not to be missed.
